crawl
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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crawls,
present (3rd person singular)
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crawled,
past participle, past
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crawling
present participle
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to move in a prone position with the body resting on or close to the ground, as a worm or caterpillar, or on the hands and knees, as a young child.
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(of plants or vines) to extend tendrils; creep.
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to move or progress slowly or laboriously.
The line of cars crawled behind the slow-moving truck.
The work just crawled until we got the new machines.
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to behave in a remorseful, abject, or cringing manner.
Don't come crawling back to me asking for favors.
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to be, or feel as if, overrun with crawling things.
The hut crawled with lizards and insects.
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Ceramics. (of a glaze) to spread unevenly over the surface of a piece.
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(of paint) to raise or contract because of an imperfect bond with the underlying surface.
verb (used with object)
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crawls,
present (3rd person singular)
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crawled,
past participle, past
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crawling
present participle
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to visit or frequent a series of (similar businesses, especially bars).
to crawl the neighborhood pubs.
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Digital Technology. to digitally survey (websites) using a computer program, as in order to index web pages for a search engine.
Search engines are constantly crawling the web.
noun
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the act of crawling; a slow, crawling motion.
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the visiting of a series of similar businesses, especially bars.
a beer crawl;
a museum crawl.
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a slow pace or rate of progress.
Traffic slowed to a crawl.
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Swimming. a stroke in a prone position, characterized by alternate overarm movements combined with the flutter kick.
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Television, Movies. titles that slowly move across a screen, providing information.
noun
verb
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to move slowly, either by dragging the body along the ground or on the hands and knees
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to proceed or move along very slowly or laboriously
the traffic crawled along the road
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to act or behave in a servile manner; fawn; cringe
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to be or feel as if overrun by something unpleasant, esp crawling creatures
the pile of refuse crawled with insects
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(of insects, worms, snakes, etc) to move with the body close to the ground
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to swim the crawl
noun
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a slow creeping pace or motion
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Also called: Australian crawl. front crawl. swimming a stroke in which the feet are kicked like paddles while the arms reach forward and pull back through the water
noun
Usage
What does crawl mean? To crawl is to move along, close to the ground, either by wriggling the body or using hands and knees, as in The baby crawled along the floor on her hands and knees. Many types of animals crawl along the ground, such as worms, caterpillars, and snakesTo crawl also means to creep or to extend tendrils, like a vine up a ladder. More generally, to crawl means to move slowly or with a lot of effort, as in School was so boring today that the time just crawled along. To crawl also means to visit a series of similar businesses, most commonly bars or pubs. A pub crawl is an event during which participants will visit several pubs, one after another. Example: The traffic slowed to a crawl on my way home from work because of an accident.
Synonym Usage
Crawl, creep refer to methods of moving like reptiles or worms, or on all fours. They are frequently interchangeable, but crawl is used of a more prostrate movement than creep : A dog afraid of punishment crawls toward his master. Creep expresses slow progress: A child creeps before walking or running.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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crawlsimple
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crawlssimple
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have crawledperfect
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has crawledperfect
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am crawlingprogressive
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are crawlingprogressive
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is crawlingprogressive
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have been crawlingperfect progressive
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has been crawlingperfect progressive
Past
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crawledsimple
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had crawledperfect
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was crawlingprogressive
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were crawlingprogressive
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had been crawlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of crawl1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English craulen, crallen, from Old Norse krafla; compare Danish kravle “to crawl, creep”
Origin of crawl2
First recorded in 1650–60; from Dutch kraal, from Spanish corral corral; cf. kraal
Explanation
To crawl is to move slowly across the floor on your hands and knees. Before they learn to walk, most babies crawl. You might crawl around looking for a lost earring, or watch a spider crawl across your ceiling. The slow, creeping movement itself is a crawl, too: "Traffic was moving at a crawl." When your dog has fleas, he crawls with them, and if something gives you a creepy, prickling sensation, it makes your skin crawl. Crawl probably comes from the Old Norse krafla, "to claw one's way," which shares a root with crab.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
One approach being tested involves robots that can crawl across the seafloor.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Yet on Friday, the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield’s rapid move toward the crucial 5% threshold suddenly slowed to a crawl.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 13, 2026
What team will be wanting to crawl into bed at halftime and sleep for 36 hours?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
There’s never been a lower bar to crawl over.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
As he spoke, the dragon started to crawl from one of his shoulders to the other.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
And sheer uncertainty abounds over how to handle raw fruits and veggies while this parasite crawls about.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
Today, dragons and dungeon crawls are common entertainments.
From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026
The percussion on “2 Hard 4 the Radio” bangs and jumps where so much of the record crawls, and his fleet verse recalls the cadence of his 2018 hit “Nice for What.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
While Kumar’s book crawls on average draw about 20 attendees each, she said the community that’s formed around them is much larger.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026
Naano waves Zayd over to her, and he crawls onto her lap.
From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan
Suki, who had been with her new family only a few weeks, had crawled into an opening in an entertainment center cabinet and could not get out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
“Well, we didn’t walk out of it. We crawled out of it, but we did get out of it alive.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Roa and his companions initially crawled and then cut a hole to reach the site.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
Daveigh Chase, the horror actress who crawled out of a TV in The Ring and voiced Lilo in Disney's animated Lilo & Stitch, died this month from Aids, according to a medical examiner's report.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
“I get paid by the hour. I’m not on salary like he is. Does he have any idea how much these meetings cost real people?” his aunt grumped as they crawled through rush-hour traffic.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
“Staff reported that there was a male adult creeping and crawling around the aisles,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Lamichhane said they managed to get away by "crawling like a baby" into the hillside.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
They want AI agents crawling through messages to have unfettered access to every update on products, earnings and strategic initiatives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Social media platforms and message boards are crawling with asks for reliable weather app recommendations, and the answers can vary wildly.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
It took all Nathan’s nerve and many deep breaths to calm his instincts to squish the spider that was crawling up his leg.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
